2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 Power

170 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever inN can result in
transmission damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The selected gear range appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 169). If
you press on the accelerator when the
engine has reached its rpm limit, the trans-
mission will upshift beyond any gear range
limit selected.
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
C/S) are
indicated in the right multifunction display
(
page 169).
Effect
ï
The transmission shifts through
sixth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
î
The transmission shifts through
fifth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
Effect
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

183 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Switch on the ignition (
page 39).
Activating

Press button F on the automatic cli-
mate control panel (
page 185).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press button F (
page 185) once
more.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
!
The rear window defroster cannot be
switched on when the retractable hardtop is
open. The indicator lamp will start flashing if the
hardtop is open.


Close the retractable hardtop.
The rear window defroster can then be switched
on.
!
If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp starts flashing, too
many electrical consumers are operating simul-
taneously and there is insufficient voltage in the
battery. The system responds automatically by
switching the rear window defroster off.
As soon as the battery has sufficient voltage, the
rear window defroster automatically switches
back on automatically.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Activating
Press button P (
page 185).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches to the fol-
lowing functions automatically:


cooling on to dehumidify


maximum blower speed and
heating power


air flows onto the windshield
and the front side windows


the air recirculation mode is
switched off
Deactivating

Press button P (
page 185).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
The previous settings are in effect
again.Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 57).
If the automatic air distribution and air vol-
ume are switched off:

Turn air distribution controls1 and 5
(page 185) to position h ork.
or

Press control buttons 1, 5 and 9
(page 185).
The control buttons are engaged. The
U symbol on the control buttons
come on. Air distribution and air vol-
ume are adjusted automatically.
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
i
The cooling remains switched on.
i
Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.
Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 193) is activated, or
press buttonP.

196 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening and closing the windows
The windows are opened and closed elec-
trically. The switches for all the windows
are on the driver’s door. The switch for the
passenger side windows is on the passen-
ger door.
1Left door and rear side windows
2Right door and rear side windows

Switch on the ignition (
page 39).
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being injured
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
The closing of the rear side windows can be
immediately halted by releasing the switch.
If a door window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pulled the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the door win-
dow, the automatic reversal function will
stop the door window and open it slightly.
If the door window encounters an obstruc-
tion that blocks its path in a circumstance
where you are closing the door window by
pulling and holding the switch, by pressing
and holding button ‹on the SmartKey,
by pressing and holding the lock button (ve-
hicles with KEYLESS-GO*) on an outside
door handle, by pressing and holding the re-
tractable hardtop switch, or by pressing and
holding button,on the climate control
panel, the automatic reversal function will
not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment can
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.i
Depending on the current position, the win-
dows may also open or close when the air recir-
culation button, on the control panel of the
automatic climate control (
page 191) is
pressed and held.
i
After switching off the ignition (
page 39)
or removing the SmartKey from the starter
switch, the windows can be operated


until you open a door


for at least 5 minutes if no door was opened

197 Controls in detail
Power windows
Opening the door windows
Press switch1 or2 to the resistance
point.
The corresponding door window will
move downwards until you release the
switch.
Opening the rear side windows when
the hardtop is closed:

Open the door window.

Press switch1 or 2 to the resistance
point again.
The corresponding rear side window
will open completely.Closing the door windows

Pull switch1 or2 to the resistance
point.
The corresponding door window will
move upwards until you release the
switch.
Closing the rear side windows if the
hardtop is closed:

Close the door window.

Pull and hold switch1 or 2.
The corresponding rear side window
will move upwards until you release the
switch. Fully opening the door windows
(Express-open)

Press switch1 or2 past the resis-
tance point and release.
The corresponding door window opens
completely.
i
If the hardtop is open, the respective rear
side window will also open automatically.
Warning!
G
If you pull and hold the switch up when clos-
ing the door window, and upward movement
of the door window is blocked by some ob-
struction including but not limited to arms,
hands, fingers, etc., the automatic reversal
will not operate.
i
If the hardtop is open, the respective rear
side window will also open automatically.

198 Controls in detailPower windowsFully closing the door windows
(Express-close)
Pull switch1 or2 past the resis-
tance point and release.
The corresponding door window closes
completely.
If the upward movement of the door win-
dow is blocked during the closing proce-
dure, the door window will stop and open
slightly.
Stopping windows

Press or pull the respective switch
again.Closing the windows with
KEYLESS-GO*

Press and hold lock button on an out-
side door handle (
page 64) until the
windows are closed.
Synchronizing power windows
The power window must be synchronized
each time

after the battery has been disconnect-
ed


if the power windows cannot be fully
opened (Express-open) or closed
(Express-close)
Synchronizing the power windows

Switch on the ignition (
page 39).

Pull the power window switches until
the side windows are closed.
Hold the switches for approximately
1 second.
The power windows are synchronized.
Warning!
G
Driver’s door only:
If within 5 seconds the switch is again
pulled past the resistance point and re-
leased, the automatic reversal will not
operate.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
The windows will not automatically re-open
if blocked during convenience closing.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:

Release the lock button.


Pull on the door handle and hold firmly.
The side windows open for as long as
the door handle is held but the door not
opened.

212 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting a higher speed
Lift the cruise control in direction of
arrow1 (
page 210) and hold it
there until the desired speed is
reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control in direction
of arrow2 (
page 210) and hold it
there until the desired speed is
reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 (
page 210).
Slower

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow2 (
page 210).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly pull the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow4 (
page 210).
The cruise control resumes to the last
set speed or, if no speed is stored, it
will set and store the current speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
i
When you use the cruise control lever to de-
celerate, the brake system will automatically
brake the vehicle if the engine’s braking power
does not brake the vehicle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions
permit. Possible acceleration or decelera-
tion differences arising from returning to the
preset speed could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.